Definition

1. Noun:

   • A sudden, loud noise: A crash is a loud sound made by something breaking, hitting something else, or falling.
   • A serious accident: A crash is a violent collision, especially one involving vehicles like cars or airplanes.
   • A sudden, severe failure or decline: A crash can refer to a rapid and significant drop, such as in financial markets or a computer system failure.

2. Verb:

   • To collide or break violently: To crash means to hit something violently and noisily, often causing damage.
   • To make a sudden loud noise: To crash means to produce a loud, smashing sound.
   • To fail or stop working suddenly: To crash means to stop functioning abruptly, as with a computer or system.
   • To decline suddenly and severely: To crash means to decrease rapidly in value or activity, such as stock prices.
   • To attend without invitation: (Informal) To crash means to go to a party or event without being invited.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • We heard a loud crash from the kitchen. (We heard a sudden loud noise.)
  • The car crash blocked the highway for hours. (The vehicle accident blocked the road.)
  • The stock market crash of 1929 led to the Great Depression. (The sudden financial decline had major consequences.)
  • My computer had a crash and I lost my document. (My computer experienced a system failure.)

• Verb:

  • The waves crash against the rocks. (The waves hit the rocks with force and noise.)
  • I'm afraid I might crash the car if I'm too tired. (I'm worried I might have a collision.)
  • The old website crashes if too many people visit it. (The website stops working under heavy traffic.)
  • He tried to crash the exclusive party but was turned away. (He tried to enter the party uninvited.)

Advanced Usage

• "to crash and burn": To fail completely and often dramatically.
  • His latest business venture crashed and burned within six months.
• "to crash a meeting/class": To attend a formal gathering without permission or enrollment.
  • She decided to crash the lecture to hear the famous professor speak.

Variants and Related Words

• Crasher (n): A person who attends an event without an invitation.
  • The security guards were looking for crashers at the concert.
• Crash course (n): A short, intensive learning course on a subject.
  • I took a crash course in Spanish before my trip. (Note: This is a compound noun listed separately as a variant.)

Synonyms

• Collide (v): To hit with force when moving.
• Smash (v/n): To break violently into pieces; a violent breaking.
• Collision (n): An instance of one object hitting another.
• Plummet (v): To fall or drop straight down at high speed.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Crash into: To collide with something.
  • The truck crashed into the barrier.
• Crash out: (Informal) To fall asleep deeply, especially from exhaustion.
  • After the long hike, he crashed out on the sofa.
• Crash down: To fall heavily and noisily.
  • The old tree crashed down during the storm.

Related Idioms

• Crash diet: A severe and unhealthy diet aimed at quick weight loss.
  • She went on a crash diet before the wedding, but it wasn't sustainable.
• Crash pad: A place to sleep temporarily, especially for free.
  • He offered his apartment as a crash pad for friends visiting the city.

Noun

1. (computer science) an event that causes a computer system to become inoperative
   • the crash occurred during a thunderstorm and the system has been down ever since
2. the act of colliding with something
   • his crash through the window
   • the fullback's smash into the defensive line
3. a sudden large decline of business or the prices of stocks (especially one that causes additional failures)
4. a serious accident (usually involving one or more vehicles)
   • they are still investigating the crash of the TWA plane
5. a loud resonant repeating noise
   • he could hear the clang of distant bells

Verb

1. sleep in a convenient place
   • You can crash here, though it's not very comfortable
2. stop operating
   • My computer crashed last night
   • The system goes down at least once a week
3. undergo a sudden and severe downturn
   • the economy crashed
   • will the stock market crash again?
4. hurl or thrust violently
   • He dashed the plate against the wall
   • Waves were dashing against the rock
5. cause to crash
   • The terrorists crashed the plane into the palace
   • Mother crashed the motorbike into the lamppost
6. enter uninvited; informal
   • let's crash the party!
7. make a sudden loud sound
   • the waves crashed on the shore and kept us awake all night
8. occupy, usually uninvited
   • My son's friends crashed our house last weekend
9. break violently or noisily; smash;
10. move violently as through a barrier
    • The terrorists crashed the gate
11. undergo damage or destruction on impact
    • the plane crashed into the ocean
    • The car crashed into the lamp post
12. move with, or as if with, a crashing noise
    • The car crashed through the glass door
13. fall or come down violently
    • The branch crashed down on my car
    • The plane crashed in the sea